A new species of Scuticaria (Maxillariinae) from Colombia

A new species of Scuticaria from the Colombian Amazon region, S. guainiana, is described and illustrated. The new species resembles S. steelei from which it differs in flower size and structure of the lip callus. The taxonomic affinities of the new species are briefly discussed.     

Taxonomic revision of the East Asian genus Scleropteroides Colonnelli, 1979 (Coleoptera,Curculionidae, Ceutorhynchinae)

The genus Scleropteroides Colonnelli, 1979 (Ceutorhynchinae: Scleropterini) was revised on the basis of detailed morphological observations. The genus was redefined to include three species from East Asia: S. hypocrita (Hustache, 1916) is redescribed and recorded from northeastern China and northern Korea for the first time; S. horridulus (Voss, 1958) is redescribed with new records from southern Korea; S. insularis Voss, 1971 was moved from synonymy with S. hypocrita to that with S. horridulus (syn. n.), and S. longiprocessus Huang & Yoshitake, sp. n. is described as new, sympatric with S. hypocrita in Japan. All the species are associated with woody Rubus species (Rosaceae). A key to species, habitus photographs, illustrations of important characters, and distribution maps are provided for each species.     

Mexican species of the genus Stethantyx Townes (Hymenoptera,Ichneumonidae, Tersilochinae)

Six species of the genus Stethantyx Townes are found to occur in Mexico. One species, S. mexicana sp. n., is described as new, and four recently described Neotropical species, S. alajuela Khalaim & Broad, S. heredia Khalaim & Broad, S. osa Khalaim & Broad and S. sanjosea Khalaim & Broad, are new records from Mexico. A key to species of Stethantyx occurring in Mexico is provided.     

The taxonomic accounts of the genus Symmorphus Wesmael (Hymenoptera,Vespidae, Eumeninae) from China,with descriptions of three new species

In this study, we recognize and review a total of 19 species of the genus Symmorphus Wesmael from China. We also provide a key to these species. Three new species are described and illustrated, namely Symmorphus (Symmorphus) tianchiensis Li & Chen, sp. n., S. (S.) cavatus Li & Chen, sp. n., and S. (S.) nigriclypeus Li & Chen, sp. n. The following four species are newly recorded from China: Symmorphus (S.) fuscipes (Herrich-Schaeffer), S. (S.) lucens (Kostylev), S. (S.) sublaevis Kostylev, and S. (S.) violaceipennis Giordani Soika. In addition, we map the species geographical distributions in China of these 19 species. Type specimens of these three new species are deposited in Chongqing Normal University and Yunnan Agricultural University.     

A new species of Scolecobasidium associated with the sooty blotch and flyspeck complex on banana from China

Sooty blotch and flyspeck is caused by a complex of epiphytic fungi on diverse hosts. A fungus morphologically similar to Scolecobasidium humicola was isolated from a banana fruit exhibiting SBFS signs in Hainan, China. ITS and LSU sequences of rDNA corroborated that it was a Scolecobasidium species. The results of LSU rDNA analysis support the interpretation that Ochroconis is synonymous with Scolecobasidium. Five new combinations, S. anomalum, S. calidifluminale, S. gallopavum, S. gamsii, and S. lascauxense, were proposed. A new species, S. musae, was described based on morphological characteristics and sequence comparison with previous species.     

Integrative Taxonomy and Species Delimitation in Harvestmen: A Revision of the Western North American Genus Sclerobunus (Opiliones: Laniatores: Travunioidea)

Alpha taxonomy, and specifically the delimitation of species, is becoming increasingly objective and integrative. The use of coalescent-based methods applied to genetic data is providing new tools for the discovery and delimitation of species. Here, we use an integrative approach via a combination of discovery-based multivariate morphological analyses to detect potential new species. These potential species are then used as a priori species in hypothesis-driven validation analyses with genetic data. This research focuses on the harvestmen genus Sclerobunus found throughout the mountainous regions of western North America. Based on our analyses, we conduct a revision of Sclerobunus resulting in synonymy of Cyptobunus with Sclerobunus including transfer of S. cavicolens comb. nov. and elevation of both subspecies of S. ungulatus: S. ungulatus comb. nov. and S. madhousensis comb. nov., stat. nov. The three subspecies of S. robustus are elevated, S. robustus, S. glorietus stat. nov., and S. idahoensis stat. nov. Additionally, five new species of Sclerobunus are described from New Mexico and Colorado, including S. jemez sp. nov., S. klomax sp. nov., S. skywalkeri sp. nov., S. speoventus sp. nov., and S. steinmanni sp. nov. Several of the newly described species are single-cave endemics, and our findings suggest that further exploration of western North American cave habitats will likely yield additional new species.     

Melampsora salicis-sinicae (Melampsoraceae,Pucciniales), a new rust fungus found on willows in China

Based on morphological characteristics and molecular phylogeny, a rust fungus on Salix hsinganica, S. sinica, S. starkeana, S. wallichiana and S. xerophila in China is described as a new species, Melampsora salicis-sinicae. This new species morphologically resembles M. capraearum and M. epiphylla in having subcuticular teliospores with a thickened apical wall, but it differs from these two species in its amphigenous telia. In addition, this new species differs from M. capraearum in its slender teliospores and thinner apical thickness of teliospores, and it also differs from M. epiphylla in the dimension of urediniospores, the position of teliospores and the apical thickness of teliospores. Phylogenetic analyses using partial sequences of the D1/D2 region of nuclear large subunit and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS1 and ITS2) regions including 5.8S of ribosomal RNA gene and the translation elongation factor 1 alpha (EF-1α) gene revealed that this rust fungus was distinct from its morphologically similar species, M. capraearum and M. epiphylla.     

A new species of Sorghastrum (Poaceae) from Isla Socorro, Colima, Mexico

A new species ofSorghastrum,S. pohlianum, from Mexico is described and illustrated. A numerical analysis comparing the new species to the closest species (S. nutans andS. nudipes) was undertaken. The first three principal components explain 84% of the variation of the taxa involved. In addition there is morphological evidence to distinguish the new species from its closest relatives. It differs fromS. nutans by showing smaller inflorescences, having sterile lemmas and anthers, and having somewhat smaller but wider blades and different flowering periods. In addition, it is distinguished fromS. nudipes due to the presence of auricles > 1 mm long and inflorescence branches bearing spikelets along their entire length.     

Two new species of Stenoloba (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) from East Asia with the first description of S. nora female genitalia

Two new species of Stenoloba Staudinger, 1892 are described: S. ronkayi Sohn and Tzuoo sp. nov. from Taiwan and S. hystrix Sohn sp. nov. from northern Vietnam. The relationships of the new species with the actual species groups of Stenoloba are discussed. The formerly unknown female of S. nora Kononenko and Ronkay, 2001 and its genitalia are described here for the first time.     

Two new species of the Stenochinus amplus species-group from China (Coleoptera,Tenebrionidae, Stenochiini)

Two new species of the Stenochinus amplus species-group are described, S. apiciconcavus sp. n. (CHINA: Shaanxi) and S. xinyicus sp. n. (CHINA: Guangdong). Also, some new distribution data are provided for S. cylindricus (Gebien, 1914), and a key to the seven species of the S. amplus species-group from China is given.     

Stenocereus zopilotensis Arreola-Nava and Terrazas (Cactaceae), a new species from Mexico

Stenocereus zopilotensis Arreola-Nava and Terrazas, a new species from the Zopilote Canyon, municipality of Zumpango del Rio in the center of the state of Guerrero (Mexico), is described and illustrated. This new species is compared toStenocereus quevedonis J. G. Ortega,S. fricii Sánchez-Mej., andS. pruinosus (Otto) Buxb. based on morphological similarity. Moreover, the new species grows sympatrically withS. pruinosus.     

Dinoflagellate cysts,Acritarchs and Tasmanitids from the uppermost Callovian of England and Scotland: With a reconsideration of the “xanthidium pilosum” problem

Four assemblages of fossil organic-walled microphytoplankton from the Upper Callovian (Lamberti Zone), three from England and one from Scotland, are described. They comprise at least 50 species of dinoflagellate cysts, 18 species of acritarchs and 2 species of tasmanitids. After a review of the «Xanthidium pilosum problem, a revised diagnosis is proposed for Sentusidinium pilosum (Ehrenberg) and three new species, Sentusidinium creberbarbatum, S. sparsibarbatum and S. erythrocomum are proposed. The new family name Scriniodiniaceae is substituted for the now invalid family name Endoscriniaceae. The new genus Escharisphaeridia is proposed to contain two existing species, E. pococki (Sarjeant) and E. dictydia (Sarjeant). The present content of the genus Compositosphaeridium is examined; the new combination C. polonicum (Górka) is proposed and a new species, C. bulgaricum, is erected. One further new species of dinoflagellate cyst, Prolixosphaeridium anasillum, is proposed. The new term «peniplate is proposed for paraplates whose boundaries are penitabular in situation.One new species of acritarch, Solisphaeridium?rhachos, is described and the new combination Polygonium aster (Sarjeant) is proposed. Evidence for reworking of some of the species of Micrhystridium present in the Hackness Rock assemblage is noted, though it is considered that the majority of species in that assemblage are indigenous. It is considered that all four assemblages are derived from a single phytoplankton province, the differences between them resulting from environmental factors such as water depth or distance from a shoreline.     

Notes on Neotropical Selaginella (Selaginellaceae), including new species from Panama

Three new species ofSelaginella from Panama are described and illustrated:S. correae, S. salazariae, andS. taylorii. In addition, a new name,S. smithiorum, is proposed forS. velutina A. R. Smith (nonS. velutina Cesati), and eleven new distribution records are reported. The relationships of the species are discussed and keys to some of the species are provided.     

Stereopsidales - A New Order of Mushroom-Forming Fungi

One new order, one new family, and one new combination are presented, as the result of molecular phylogenetic analyses. The new order Stereopsidales and the new family Stereopsidaceae are described incorporating Stereopsis radicans and S. globosa, formerly Clavulicium globosum. We show that not only do these species represent an old overlooked lineage, but both species harbor cryptic diversity. In addition, a third species, C. macounii, appears as a plausible sister to the new lineage, but there is conflict in the data. All specimens of S. radicans and S. globosa analysed here are from the South and Central Americas; several records of S. radicans have been made also from tropical Asia. We expect the true diversity in this group to be a lot higher than presented in this paper. Stereopsis radicans was formerly included in Polyporales, but a placement within that order is rejected by our data through SH tests. The dataset consisted of four nuclear markers: rpb2, tef1, LSU and SSU, each of which was analysed separately using maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference. Recombination detection tests indicate no plausible recombinations. The potential of S. radicans, S. globosa and C. macounii being amphitallic is briefly discussed.     

Morphological and molecular differentiation of two new species of Pseudoacanthocephalus Petrochenko, 1958 (Acanthocephala: Echinorhynchidae) from amphibians and reptiles in the Philippines, with identification key for the genus

The genus Pseudoacanthocephalus Petrochenko, 1958 currently includes 14 species of acanthocephalans parasitic in amphibians and reptiles worldwide. This work describes two new species of Pseudoacanthocephalus from amphibians and reptiles collected in several localities on Luzon Island, Philippines. Pseudoacanthocephalus nickoli n. sp. was found in two species of frogs, Rana luzonensis Boulenger and Rana similis (Günther), and Pseudoacanthocephalus smalesi n. sp. was found in a scincid lizard, Sphenomorphus abdictus Brown & Alcala. Differential diagnoses of the two new species of Pseudoacanthocephalus from their congeners are provided. Comparative analysis of nuclear ribosomal rRNA sequences encompassing the 3′ end of 18S nuclear rDNA gene, internal transcribed spacer region (ITS1+5.8S+ITS2), and 5′ end of the 28S gene strongly corroborated the morphological evidence and demonstrated significant differences between the two new species as well as between these species and closely related species from continental China and Vietnam. No intraspecific sequence variability was detected among different individuals representing each of the examined species. This is the first report of Pseudoacanthocephalus in the Philippines. A key to known species of Pseudoacanthocephalus is provided.     

Siamspinops, a new selenopid spider genus from Southeast Asia (Arachnida, Araneae)

Examination of a collection of selenopid spiders from Southeast Asia resulted in recognition of a new genus, Siamspinops gen. nov., which is erected to accommodate four new Southeast Asian species. Siamspinops spinosissimus sp. nov. (the type species; the male and female are described), S. spinosus sp. nov. (female) and S. allospinosus sp. nov. (female) are recorded from Thailand, S. spinescens sp. nov. (female) from the Malay Peninsula.